Henry d



H. D. MUSSELMAN.

Meat Chopper.

No. 27.334. 7 Patented Feb. 28, 1860,

24 'z I njifas, zhvenzdf u. PETERS. mammo ra hy, Washington. D. c

caries.

HENRY D. MUSSELMAN, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WM. D. SPREGKER, OF SAME PLACE.

MEAT-CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Eatent N 0. 27,334, dated February 28, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY D. MUssEL- MAN, of Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Chopping Meat; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine; Fig. 2 a front elevation. Fig. 3 shows the hind part of the frame, two of the choppers turned back on the rod that supports them, the mortise Z, and the upper double cross piece removed with the springs between them, shown by Fig. 4;. Fig. shows the operation of the choppers, by the pegged pulley F.

More fully set forth as follows :A circular chopper-block of sufficient thickness, surrounded with a tin plate or zinc ring or rim A. say 5 inches above the upper face of the block, and the lower portion B of the block provided with cogs around the entire circumference, centrally supported on a column T resting on a regulating screw point V, threaded in the foot board U, of the machine, and steadied by passing through the bed-board ll, as shown by Figs. 1 and 2. By turning the handled fly-wheel Q, motion is given to the horizontal shaft H, which carries an endless screw 8 and two pulleys or flat circular disks F, which are provided with three projecting pins on each side for raising the chopper-heads as they revolve. The choppers four (or more by adding another disk or disks) come in close contact on either side with the disks, so that their pro jecting handle ends N, come in a line with the lifting pegs f, and are kept in place by the curved guide bars R attached on the inside of the upper front cross-piece of the machine, numbered 1, 2, 3, 4: and 5. Each handle N of the choppers 0 plays freely (in a groove,) around their supporting rod I.

This rod or bolt has a strong square head on one side, and a screw end on the other, and passes through the two hind uprights, the screw-end being provided with a handledbur P. The springs M, resting one on each chopper handle N, are clamped in between the double, rear cross piece of the machine K, L, and may be tightened or removed by means of the thumb screws X. These united cross pieces K, L can be removed with the springs, by simply relaxing the rod or bolt 1, by turning the handled screw-bur, when the piece L, will slip out of the mortise Z in the uprights. This will allow the choppers to be turned clear around on the rod, for cleaning, as shown by Figs. 3 and l. There is also an upright or vertical shaft Gr, which has its bearings on the front cross pieces of the machine. This shaft G has a small pin ion D geared into the endless screw S (on the horizontal shaft H, aforesaid) and also a cogged pinion C below, geared into the cogs around the chopping-block B. Thus the block is slowly revolved under the choppers, while the latter are operated by the peggeddisks F, and brought down with any desired force by the action of the independent springs to each chopper, thus preventing the combined resistance to each chopper, when a continuous spring over all the choppers is used. The eyed handles N, through which the rod 1 passes, (kept equidistant by shoulders or washers between them on the rod,) allows them to be freely turned over for the purpose of cleaning or sharpening separately, thus rendering the machine complete by the above improvements considered both novel and highly useful, and such that cannot fail to be duly appreciated.

I am fully aware that the rimmed and cogged rotating block and springed choppers operated substantially in like manner is not new, nor do I claim such as my invention.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The series of independent springs M, operating separately on the handles N of the choppers O, in combination with the double, removable cross pieces K L between which they are held, and the adjusting thumb screws X, together with the square-headed and screw ended pivot rod or bolt I, with its screw threaded and handled bur P, as also the eyed chopper-handles N, when combined in the manner set forth for the purpose specified.

H. D. MUSSELMAN. lVitnesses S. G. Mussna, JACOB STAUTFER. 

